💡 Finding a Domain for Your Website (Issue 622)
This gets harder every year
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A fun little tech history fact. On March 15, 1985, the first .com domain was registered. It was symbolics.com for Symbolics, Inc., a computer manufacturer based in Cambridge, MA. By the way, they went bankrupt in 1996.
As of Sep 30, 2024, 362.3 million domains were registered across all top-level domains. So, it shouldn’t be surprising that it’s almost impossible to find an excellent name for your website and then find that the .com domain is available.
It rarely happens!
In my previous email, I asked you to think about what you require from your personal website. I also shared my story about losing access to my Facebook account, which is why it’s so important to own your website and choose a reliable hosting service.
Now, I want you to brainstorm what you want to call your website. What domain would you like to carry forward for the rest of your personal and professional life?
Your personal name isn’t a terrible choice (e.g., check out my friends Luke, Lynn, Preston, Terri, and Trip). Unfortunately, some squatter has been sitting on my name for as long as I can remember. I contacted him, but he wants an exorbitant fee for it. I hate people like that… So, I’m using LarryCornett.coach for my personal site’s domain.
If you have a unique name, you might be in luck! Or, perhaps you were smart enough to lock in your name long, long ago.
But maybe you have different ideas for something that better represents you and your professional interests. For example:
Research domain names
If you already have a domain that you’ve registered or one you’ve already been using, now is a good time to think about the future and if it still works for you. If you don’t, it’s time to brainstorm domain names and lock one down.
Over 25 years ago, I had a domain for my first design consulting business called MindSpanDesign.com. I was trying to come up with a unique name that evoked “bridging the gap between mind and machine.” But, when I moved away from hands-on design work, a domain containing the word “design” no longer made sense for me.
Coming up with a great available domain name you’ll be happy with is hard work. You may have to compromise on your initial concepts.
That’s why it’s a good idea to brainstorm many ideas and alternatives. It might help to do this with a friend. Let them know what attributes and adjectives you have in mind and your website goals.
There are also some fun tools that you can use to generate domain names by combining words and exploring synonyms.
Namify has an AI-powered business and domain name generator.
Instant Domain Search shows results as you type.
Nameboy is another name generator you can try.
Domain Wheel is pretty cool, too.
The Business Name Generator differs from the others. It comes up with unique name ideas based on a few keywords, and you can filter by industry.
This whole naming process becomes a little more complicated now with social media. Previously, you only had to worry about your business name and domain.
Now, you really should have social media profiles that match your domain name, too. For example, I was glad to secure both the domain and Bluesky handle for my Larry Cornett Coaching businesses.
Register your domain
As far as domain registration goes, I am now using Namecheap instead of Network Solutions or GoDaddy. I was tired of being upsold at every step of any process and nickeled and dimed for every feature on those other registrars (e.g., privacy protection).
You can start searching for a domain you want, and they will let you know if it is available. If not, they provide alternatives with other domain endings (TLDs).
Other registrars to check out:
Hover.com - Free WHOIS privacy is included.
Name.com - They curate domain results and provide recommendations for memorable domain names.
Porkbun.com - They offer Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates at no charge for all supported domains.
Domain.com - They’ve been around a long time. Pricing isn’t as reasonable as Google, Cloudflare, or Namecheap, though.
Cloudflare Registrar - Trustworthy and no markup pricing.
Pair Domains - Good pricing.
You can own more than one domain
Consider the long-term implications of the name you choose for your domain and website. If you want to use your personal name and it’s available, this task is pretty easy for you. I do think everyone should own the domain for their name when possible, regardless of any other domains you want to use.
Of course, you don’t necessarily have to settle on just one domain. I own dozens of domains that map to my identity, interests, and numerous businesses and concepts.
So, you could have:
One domain for your identity (e.g., a personal blog about your hobbies).
A second domain for your professional profile (e.g., a design portfolio site with your resume and blogging your expertise).
And a third domain for a business idea you want to test (e.g., providing marketing consulting services).
This task helps you solidify your thinking about presenting yourself and your professional brand to the world. It also helps you think through short-term experiments and a long-term “forever home” for who you are online.
So, at least one of your domains should be something that has evergreen meaning and utility for you (e.g., your name). You want something you’ll be happy with for several decades.
I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with ambitious professionals to help them reclaim their power, become invincible, and create new opportunities for their work and lives. Do more of what you love and less of what you hate!
📕 Check out my The Invincible Daily Journals. I have one specifically for Spring!
Solid advice! And thanks for the link!